9 Months and 2 1/2 going on 20!

Today, Josiah turns 9-months-old. It’s been a quick nine months of sheer bliss as a family of four with this little guy in our lives. Where has time gone? We are finding out just how busy and amazing life is with 2 children who are 2-and-under and both now being mobile. It is crazy, it is busy, it is sometimes overwhelming…and it is the most fabulous chaos.

Josiah has had a BIG month.  Shortly after he turned eight months old he began full on crawling.  While he could low-crawl (I have strict orders from my husband NOT to use the phrase “army crawling” in any sense when speaking about my children…meh, those uptight Marines!) to any object that he preferred before 8-months, it wasn’t until a few days after that he really took off and could not be contained.  He is now brave enough to crawl happily from room to room without fear of steps or hazards (yay for Mom!) He is so much braver than Addisyn ever was, most likely because he is always attempting to keep up with her. He’s now rapidly crawling, and pulling up on any object he can and standing momentarily. He’s moved to the first big boy status of his crib, with a newly lowered mattress to attempt to avoid the falls he seems so determined to partake in. I’m convinced this is a boy thing. He also got his very first haircut! Could he be any more handsome?!

In other news, he’s still a pro at waving and saying, “hey”, and he’s added “Dada” (with full understanding of the meaning) to his vocab.  He’s been saying the word for quite some time but he now understands that using that little phrase, or rather shrieking it at the top of his lungs, will garner the attention of that handsome blue-eyed man he loves so much. Dada wins…again, no matter how hard I pushed for Mama for him! He loves to clap and mimic sounds and expressions, and is a professional at blowing raspberry’s (especially with a mouth full of food)! He also loves to hear himself shriek…and it’s super entertaining when big sister shrieks back at him and they volley those high-pitched shrieks back and forth for the entirety of any meal we are having. I’m not sure who is more entertained by his antics, us or Addisyn. When she’s not ordering him around she’s laughing at him constantly or working hard to make him smile. May they always be this close!

He had a fabulous 9-month well check, weighing in at just over 20 lbs. and 28.5 inches long. That puts him in the 70th percentiles for height and weight, our big healthy guy! He got the all clear to eat any food he wants, except honey, can now ride in the bike cart for family bike trips, and got his very own toothpaste and big boy tooth brush. Instead of pureed foods, he prefers to nurse and also eat any food he can feed himself. Ritz crackers, puffs, and yogurt are his current favorite snacks.  He’s been pretty impressed with sweet potatoes, pears, and any type of bread recently also.  I love watching him grow, laugh, and change.

Big sister has been doing a lot of growing on her own! While her hair now reaches down her back, she’s got other big news! We are potty-training (which isn’t for the week). I can honestly say I’ve never done anything more difficult in parenting, and I wasn’t expecting it to be as hard as it has been. Yet, in true Addisyn fashion she’s now nailing it and doing awesome! It took a lot of praying for patience or us all. The hardest part was seeing how stressful it was for her initially, but when it began to click her pride in herself made us forget all of that. Bye-bye diapers, hello big girl status. She also has learned to independently ride her tricycle, look out world!

The most shocking new attribute for Addisyn is that we found out she’s a rollercoaster lover. During Daddy’s much needed vacation we spent the week visiting all our favorite places; pumpkin patches, the zoo, parks, and Busch Gardens. We celebrated Addy officially turning 2 and a half and packed each day full of fun.  The highlight was when Addisyn discovered she loves rollercoasters and was only disappointed in learning that she in fact could not ride the Griffin at Busch Gardens…she gets that from her father for sure! Between all of this and officially starting her independent dance class, her first class where Mommy doesn’t attend with her, she’s decided that she’s 2 going on 20.

We are busy checking off all of the fun activities on our fall bucket list and enjoying the fast pace of life with these two. Slow down Addy and JoJo! Slow down!